Twenty Milk Outdoor Dining Review

| Posted in Reviews

The Portland Phoenix has reviewed the outdoor dining experience to be had at Twenty Milk Street.

The string lights in the trees, and the bamboo fence fronted by a sea-rose hedge, give it the feel of the sort of leafy garden dining found all over Vietnam. Old-fashioned lanterns hang over many tables. Watching the waiters complete the long traverse from the 19th-century building in formal attire adds to the colonial feel. Customers seem to embrace the mood — dining in a desultory fashion, laughing rambunctiously, and talking themselves into extra rounds of drinks.

Spicelines on Rabelais

| Posted in Profiles

Spicelines has posted a write-up on her recent visit to Rabelais Books.

Rabelais is a different sort of “clean, well-lighted” place: a tranquil but cheerful gathering spot for food-obsessed souls in a food-obsessed town. And what a location: It’s in Portland’s burgeoning East End, next door to Hugo’s (chef Rob Evans won the 2009 James Beard award for Best Chef Northeast) and within walking distance of half a dozen great restaurants, including Bresca, Duckfat and Fore Street. There’s something irresistible about a destination cookbook shop just a couple of blocks from the world’s best Belgian frites and Tahitian vanilla milkshakes.

Restaurants on Twitter

| Posted in General News

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes a feature story on Maine restaurants use of Twitter.

Arsenault was still new to Twitter, so when she organized a “tweet-up” at the inn for the folks who had been following her posts online, she hoped that maybe 15 people would show up.

“And then people just started piling in,” she said.

To Arsenault’s surprise, 37 diners drove to Scarborough to take advantage of the inn’s tweet-up specials – $5 mussel appetizers, $2 beers and $5 glasses of wine. Many were new to the inn, and some of them stayed on for dinner.

The Corner Room

| Posted in Reviews

Portland Food Heads has published a review of The Corner Room.

I really wanted to like The Corner Room – really, I did. And because this experience was so terribly awful, I may have to give the place one more shot at some point, just so that I can rest easy in the possibility that this meal was a fluke rather than a representation of the restaurant in general.

This Week's Events

| Posted in Events

The weekly Food and Drink Trivia Contest is at Bull Feeney’s tonight and on Tuesday the next Wine Flight 5k Training run is taking place. Both The Salt Exchange and Jones Landing are holding wine events on Wednesday, and there’s a wine tastings this week at RSVP on Wednesday. On Thursday Longfellow Books is holding a book signing with Julia User author of Cookie Swap. Portland Schooner Co is offering food themed sailing trips this week on Monday and Friday. This weekend the 85th Annual St Peter’s Italian Bazaar is taking place. Farmers’ Markets are being held in Monument Square on Wednesday and at Deering Oaks Park on Saturday. For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

This Week’s Events

| Posted in Events

The weekly Food and Drink Trivia Contest is at Bull Feeney’s tonight and on Tuesday the next Wine Flight 5k Training run is taking place. Both The Salt Exchange and Jones Landing are holding wine events on Wednesday, and there’s a wine tastings this week at RSVP on Wednesday. On Thursday Longfellow Books is holding a book signing with Julia User author of Cookie Swap. Portland Schooner Co is offering food themed sailing trips this week on Monday and Friday. This weekend the 85th Annual St Peter’s Italian Bazaar is taking place. Farmers’ Markets are being held in Monument Square on Wednesday and at Deering Oaks Park on Saturday. For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

Evangeline on USAToday.com

| Posted in General News

Evangeline was included in a list of the ten “best French restaurants to hear bon appétit” put together by Saveur Editor-in-Chief James Oseland for USA Today.

At Evangeline, nose-to-tail dining meets French technique: Think crispy roasted calf brains and roasted beef shins with warm marrow for spreading on crusty bread,” Oseland says. “Dishes are built from the ground up with the highest-quality ingredients and with an eye toward what’s local, seasonal and ripe for experimentation.”

Dry Dock Bar Review

| Posted in Reviews

Portland Bar Guide has reviewed the Dry Dock.

Bright and sunny, with two floors to choose from, the Dry Dock can accommodate you, your family and all of your friends with casual service and a reasonably priced food and drink menu.

Upon seating myself in the bar area, I was offered their famous shrimp Bloody Mary ($5.75) by our perky waitress Eileen. “No thanks and gross,” was my answer, but apparently folks absolutely love this drink.

Review of The Salt Exchange

| Posted in Reviews

The Portland Phoenix has published a review of The Salt Exchange.

And Salt Exchange is good enough if you are going to treat the little people who make your life meaningful to a nice dinner out. They even open early for dinner — at five — a family-friendly touch. For adult fare, Salt Exchange could do with a bit more seasoning. Children like to experiment, and the cuisine at Salt Exchange is experimental as well. Sometimes that method is slow to achieve its best results. The Salt Exchange clearly has, as Brooks would appreciate, grand designs and high ambitions. It may take a bit more time to get there.